


Calm Before The Storm

by neversaydie



Series: God Only Knows [2]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Deaf Character, M/M, Muteness, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:40:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1598606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neversaydie/pseuds/neversaydie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This kid is probably the closest thing he'll ever get to 'meeting the parents' with Daryl, he reckons. He'd better make a good impression. </p>
<p>(Rick and Daryl take Sophia bowling. Sequel to Somebody To Love.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calm Before The Storm

"Hey." Rick picks up the phone after two rings.

Daryl's started phoning him instead of texting, since Dr Greene told him that the more he spoke, the more he was likely to. Rick always picks up, even if it's just to hear _'My professor's an asshole'_ or _'They played Queen in the bar and I thought of you'_ or, sometimes, _'I love you'_.

They've kind of fallen for each other fast. Really fast. They even tried to cool things off for a little while because they were worried it was _too_ fast, but in the end they just had to let things go the way they wanted to.

It's working. It's awesome.

"What's up?"

"'Bout today." Daryl might have started speaking a little more, but he never got less direct. He wasn't really used to small talk, just dove straight in, but Rick appreciated that he got right to the point of whatever he wanted to say.

"Carol got called into work an' I'm watchin' her kid. S'it okay if she tags along, or d'you wanna reschedule?"

"Nah, bring her." He's been wanting to meet the famous Sophia. She's one of Daryl's favourite people, if the amount he talks about her is anything to go by. "We can go bowling."

"Bowling?" Daryl snorts a laugh. "Alright. She'll be into that. Two o'clock, yeah?"

"Yeah." Rick tries to keep the stupid grin off his face. Daryl still has that effect on him, and he feels a little pathetic because of it. "See you then."

"'Kay. Love ya."

"You too."

He hangs up and immediately boots up his laptop. He's been taking an online sign language course for the last few months, and he wants to go over introductions again before he meets the kid. For some reason, he feels like it's important that she likes him.

This kid is probably the closest thing he'll ever get to 'meeting the parents' with Daryl, he reckons. He'd better make a good impression.

*

It's lucky the bowling alley is well-heated, because the December chill has well and truly set in. Rick stands outside shivering for a few minutes before he decides to just wait in the foyer by the arcade games. It's a good thing he does, because Daryl and Sophia are fifteen minutes late.

"Sorry." Daryl kisses him on the cheek and speaks next to his ear, slightly out of breath. He's always so quiet in public, whispering so only Rick can hear. "Lost her scarf an' gloves an' stuff."

"That's okay." Rick shakes his head, waving the apology off. "Worth waitin' for."

Daryl smiles shyly and Rick turns to Sophia. She's blonde and skinny, tall for her age and bundled up in many layers and what Rick recognises as Daryl's scarf with the _Star Trek_ command track insignia on the bottom. He smiles, because of course.

_Hi, I'm Rick_. He signs, spelling his name out. _It's nice to meet you_.

Sophia waves, grinning when there's someone else who can talk to her in her own language. Daryl had told her Rick could sign, had warned her that he's still not very fluent, but she's happy with the novelty anyway.

_I'm Sophia._ She replies.

She turns to Daryl and makes Rick's specific namesign to him, questioningly. Daryl nods. She signs something Rick can't follow and Daryl snorts, signing back rapidly.

"She says you're too handsome to be my boyfriend." Rick laughs loudly, and Sophia looks pleased with herself as Daryl groans. "You two are gonna gang up on me."

"Yep." He nods, bumping his shoulder playfully against Daryl's. "C'mon, I booked the lane online."

"We're gon' kick your ass." He signs to Sophia as he speaks, and she gives Rick a double thumbs up.

"You're on."

*

Rick does, indeed, get his ass thoroughly kicked.

Things are going so well that he doesn't mind. Daryl's on good form, the most animated Rick's ever seen him, interpreting for both Sophia and Rick so they can all talk to each other. Rick learns how to applaud in sign (waving his hands at head height), and answers a lot of questions. She signs too rapidly for him to follow most of it, but he picks up some stuff and even manages to reply without interpretation a few times.

He thinks Sophia likes him.

Things are even going so well that Daryl goes to the counter to order food for them. Rick's a little nervous about it, since he knows how easily someone being an asshole about his talking can send Daryl into a downward slide, but Daryl's so buoyed by his own success today that he wants to try. Sure, the guy behind the counter looks a little annoyed when he has to lean right over to hear what Daryl is saying, but he's seen them signing over in the lane so he deals with it. Daryl comes back with a tray of chilli dogs, looking so proud he might as well have made them himself.

Rick kisses him right then and there, doesn't care who sees. Daryl's blushing too hard to look at him for a minute after, but he figures it's worth it.

It's not how Rick had imagined this day. He'd been planning to go get a burger, maybe go to a late showing of a shitty movie and make out with Daryl in the back row rather than pay attention. That's about as far as they've gone, making out. They've made out, rubbed against each other, slept in the same bed, jerked each other off a couple of times, but that's it. Daryl seems shy about sex, really shy. Rick's never even seen him with his shirt off. Tonight he was planning to try and change that, maybe see if they could take things a little further.

That's not exactly how things have gone. Daryl has to leave by seven and take Sophia home, he won't even be staying over at Rick's tonight. Still, Rick hears him laughing softly at something the kid said and finds he doesn't mind. Seeing him like this is totally worth it. Seeing the gentle grin curl up his lips and the flush on his cheeks is worth it.

Rick doesn't realise how much he'll be hanging onto this image of Daryl in the next few weeks. Doesn't know just how far he's willing to go to put that smile back on his boyfriend's face.

Tonight things are calm, and Rick doesn't know that it's the last time they will be for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> This is more of a lead-in to the next arc of Rick and Daryl's story. Sorry this is a little abrupt at the end, I got some bad news halfway through writing it that's really going to inform the plot of this story.
> 
> The next part is mostly done, hopefully there won't be such a wait for it this time. Comments are very much appreciated and really motivate me to write.


End file.
